This Year Russia To Gather In 82.5 Million Tonnes Of Cereals -- President Putin

This year Russia will gather in 82.5 million tonnes of cereals, said Vladimir Putin in Orenburg /regional center in the southern Ural area/ on Tuesday. He opened up a visiting session of the presidium of the State Council on the agroindustrial complex. "It is a very serious result", said the head of state. He congratulated all those who "have applied their work, soul and heart" on the excellent performance. Vladimir Putin noted that in the last few years farming performance has been rising "dynamically": in 1998 Russia harvested 48 tonnes, in 1999 55 million, in 2000 65 million and this year 82.5 million tonnes of cereals. But, "much more problems than achievements remain", said Vladimir Putin. "The very fact of such a large harvest highlights certain problems, which we usually do not notice", said the president.